Haldi Doodh- “Golden Milk”

Nationality: United States
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text: “Whenever I get sick, like with even a cold or just a runny nose, my mom will always make me haldi doodh. It’s warm milk mixed with turmeric, black pepper, and honey. She heats the milk then stirs in the spices and has me drink it before I go to bed. She always tells me how her mom gave her the same tea and now she has the privilege of doing the same for me. It has a weird earthy taste but it always helps and I start to feel better the next day.”

Context: This element of folk medicine was shared by the informant, D during a conversation about home remedies passed down through generations. D explained that whenever she is sick her mother will make haldi-doodh, also known as “golden milk”. This remedy comes from Indian tradition and is passed down through generations, with D’s mother having learned it from her own mom. While it has a strong earthy taste, D associates it with comfort and feeling better the next day. 

Analysis: This is an example of folk medicine passed through generations, emphasizing both cultural continuity and caregiving. Haldi doodh is both a physical remedy and a symbolic act of love and care. The turmeric, black pepper and honey that are used are tied to traditional Ayurvedic beliefs that view food as not just nutrition, but also as powerful medicine. Given that this remedy is always given before bed, it is also a comforting ritual. This practice shows how folk medicine not only physically heals but also acts as a vessel for expressing love across generations.

Thanksgiving in Chicago

Nationality: United States
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text: “Every Thanksgiving, my family and I celebrate thanksgiving in Chicago. My mom, brother, and I will always travel to celebrate with my Uncle, aunt, and cousins who live in Chicago. We have been celebrating Thanksgiving in Chicago for as long as I can remember. Our family has a typical thanksgiving dinner with traditional foods such as a smoked turkey, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, rolls, etc. As an Indian family we also often have traditional Indian foods as well.”

Context: The informant, D, shared this ritual during a conversation about holiday traditions. D explained that she and her family always celebrate Thanksgiving in Chicago with their extended family. As D is Indian, her family also includes Indian dishes along with traditional Thanksgiving foods. To D, this ritual represents family unity and cultural blending.

Analysis: This is an example of a life-cycle calendar ritual that combines both ethnic and national traditions. Despite Thanksgiving being an American holiday, D’s family adapts it to reflect their own cultural identity by serving traditional Indian foods. This blending shows how traditional holidays can be adapted to specific cultures, allowing families to celebrate their heritage in all settings. The annual trip to Chicago emphasizes the importance of family connection, while the inclusion of Indian food showcases how ritual meals can be adapted to reflect cultural identity across generations. 

Grandma’s Indian Food

Nationality: United States
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text: “Whenever I visit my grandma’s house in Seattle, she always makes a plethora of my favorite Indian foods. She will begin cooking several hours before we even arrive as the dough has to be made by hand. She makes traditional north Indian foods such as aloo sabzi (broken potatoes), raita (yogurt sauce), gulab jamun (syrup dough balls), and pooris (a ball of fried dough used as a vessel for everything else). Despite how she is feeling or when we get there, she always has food waiting.”


Context: This ritual was shared by the informant, D, during a discussion about family and food traditions. D emphasized how her grandmother in Seattle consistently prepares traditional Indian dishes whenever they visit. D shared how even when her grandma isn’t feeling her best, she always cooks, making the experience a meaningful act of love and care. 

Analysis: This is a food-centered ritual that reflects themes of hospitay and cultural continuity. By cooking traditional Indian food, especially labor-intensive dishes like pooris, D’s grandmother is both expressing her love and maintaining the family’s cultural identity. Given that she will prepare the food regardless of circumstances, this ritual turns food into a symbolic gesture of love that further strengthens familial bonds. This example shows how culinary traditions can help both deepen familial relationships and also preserve heritage. 

Halloween Costumes

Nationality: United States
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text: “Ever since I was little, I have always dressed up for halloween. When I was a little kid, it was always something fun like Rapunzel or Dorothy. As I have gotten older, I have put more effort into more creative and funny costumes, often matching with my friends. Even now I still dress up, just this last Halloween my friends and I all dressed up as the Powerpuff Girls. Even though I’m not trick-or-treating and often going out with friends, I always have to be in costume for Halloween.”

Context: This ritual was shared by the informant, N, during a conversation about holiday traditions that continue into adulthood. N explained that regardless of her age she will always continue wearing a costume for Halloween. While wearing a costume may seem rather simple, it helps set Halloween apart from a regular day. N also noted that the process of planning a costume often involves friends, adding a social element to the tradition. To N, this ritual is less about trick or treating and more about the feeling of celebration and self expression.

Analysis: This is an example of a calendar-based ritual tied to seasonal celebration and self-expression. In the U.S., dressing up for Halloween is quite common and allows individuals to express their identity through costume. For children, it often represents imagination and fantasy, while for teens and adults it becomes more of a creative and social outlet. The continuation of this ritual into adulthood shows how folk traditions can evolve with age. As N grew, she didn’t abandon this ritual but instead adapted it to fit her changing identity.

Canadian Engineering Iron Ring – Initiation Ritual

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: College Student/Engineering Intern
Residence: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Language: English

Text:

When engineers graduate from university in Canada, they go through a ritual where they recite a specific text/speech and then are given an iron (or stainless steel) ring. The speech is about responsibility and ethics as an engineer and the importance of professional commitment. This ritual is private and the only people who can witness it are ones who have already gone through it and have an iron ring.

Context:

The informant is from the United States but goes to the University of Toronto for engineering. Before telling me about this ritual, the informant laughed about how they were warned before going to Canada that engineering there is “kind of cult-y.” The informant told me that the iron rings are given to graduates because in the past, there was a bridge made of iron that collapsed and that the original rings were made of iron from the bridge. The rings and ceremony are meant to symbolize acceptance of responsibility and acts as a reminder of what happens when engineers are not mindful of safety and ethics. The informant told me that among the people they work with, the person who wears the ring the most often is the most recent graduate. They also told me that in general, some people where it all the time and some people only wear the ring as they sign important documents. The informant told me they were apprehensive about the iron ring ceremony at first because it felt a little weird and secretive. They are now excited to get the ring but they don’t tend to wear jewelry so they think they will only wear it for specific moments. They also told me that engineers now can choose between an iron or stainless steel ring (as iron degrades over time) and they will get the iron one because it the “right” one with historical significance. The informant also told me that their partner, who is from a family of Canadian engineers, is really excited to get their iron ring but they aren’t sure if he will wear it all the time or not.

Analysis:

This ritual acts as an initiation out of university and into the workplace. By speaking the ritualized words, it marks a transition in identity and the person is given an object to show their progress. Anyone else who sees this ring knows that this person has achieved a degree in engineering. The process is very secretive and no one else knows exactly what happens. This keeps the ritual sacred within the community as something that a person has to achieve and gain access to.

The story around the ring relating to the bridge is contested online. Some people believe that the original rings were from the bridge while other people say that is a myth and the original rings were made in a factory. The creation of the story fits into the narrative that surrounds the rings. They are objects that are meant to represent responsibility and creating them from the broken pieces of something that was made irresponsibly acts as an even stronger reminder. Even if the story is untrue, it deepens the connection between the ring and the meaning for the people in the community.

This ritual also creates a second ritual within it. Some people wear the ring only as the sign important documents in order to remind themselves of their responsibility as engineers. My informant said that they want the iron one specifically because it has more meaning than the stainless steel one. The material itself creates a deeper connection to history and the responsibility that it represents. It feels almost wrong to have a stainless steel one because it wouldn’t be accurate.

The informant was worried about the ceremony at first as someone from another country and outside the culture but as they lived in the culture for longer, they have gotten more excited for the ritual at the end. The ceremony might seem weird to outsiders, but to insiders, it is normalized and is something to look forward to. Even people, like the informant, who normally don’t wear jewelry would consider wearing this ring simply because of the tradition and meaning around it.